I’ve been trying to keep the ice on our little pond broken, but every night at the moment it freezes over. I’m expecting to see little fishy corpses when it thaws, though hope not to.
Any tips on protecting the little ones during an icy winter?
As long as it doesn’t freeze all the way through, the fish should be ok for a few days under solid ice.
Thanks. That’s reassuring. Having topped up their water during the canicules, and got pleasure from seeing their eager fishy faces gobbling up the pond sticks, I’d hate for the little beggars to die.
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Fish are fine under the ice as long as there is a way for gas built up to escape. Create a hole by using warm water if it’s frozen for more than 4-5 days. Don’t hit the surface to break the ice, the shockwaves are not good for your fish.
My scottish pond was 5ft deep and koi and carp happily hung out at the bottom all winter. Pump turned off no food til spring and water temperature above 10C
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They’ll be fine.
I think we are in a colder area than you are? Most of our pond freezes and fish are fine, and the most we do is pop an old football in and then our dog noses it to get a drink.
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I find Picard is the best… Oh, wrong type of frozen fish.
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i pierced the ice a few years ago with an 8 foot crowbar, but it was so heavy that it carried on down and pierced the liner too. 
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